2016 NBA Draft Early entrants: April 27, 2016

The
rules for entering the draft have changed a bit. As long as a player
does not hire an agent he may "test the draft waters" up to three
consecutive years. Which is why you will hear John Calipari say every
one of his players is declaring for the draft. A statement like that
does mean as much as it sounds.

I
will break this list down into two sections. The first will be players
who have hired an agent, meaning they are in. I will give brief
descriptions of each prospect. The second list will be players who have
declared, but can return to school at any time.

Ben
Simmons was always an easy one and done. His team disappointed big
time, failing to even reach the NCAA Tournament, but Simmons did little
to hurt his draft stock. He showed Lamar Odom-like skills as a ball
handler, slasher, scorer, rebounder and all around threat. His game is
very NBA friendly. I think only Brandon Ingram could push him as the top
overall pick.

Ben
Simmons has gotten all the hype, but after a slow start to the season,
Brandon Ingram has been toe to toe. Ingram is the prototypical 2016 NBA
small forward. He is tall, lanky, athletic, a very good shooter and a
strong defender. He can handle the ball, rebound, block shots and commit
turnovers. It is a two man race between Ingram and Simmons for the
first pick.

Kentucky's
big men recruits may have disappointed, but the back court of Tyler Ulis and
freshman Jamal Murray was fantastic. Murray flawlessly transitioned to
full time shooting guard, scoring 20 points per game and knocking down
over three 3 point shots per game. Murray did not have the chance to
showcase it since Ulis played virtually every minute of the season, but
he can play point gaurd in a pinch. That versatility and shooting range
will appeal greatly to teams who miss out on Ben Simmons and Brandon
Ingram.

Jakob
Poeltl flashed lottery potential as a freshman, but put it all together
during his second year in Provo. Poeltl became a solid, consistent
scorer who knocked down 65% of his shots on the year. He also is a
proven rebounder and shot blocker. He needs to bulk up to avoid getting
pushed around at the NBA level, but scouts are still on the lookout for
big men who can control the paint offensively. Even as the league goes
smaller, Poeltl will find a spot in the early to mid lottery.

Kris
Dunn is a four year junior who has already graduating, so as expected,
he will move on to the next level. Dunn began the year on a tear and
even made his way into the top five of a few mocks, but cooled down as
the season went on. Dunn had a nice showing during the tournament,
showing his ability to get to the rack and score tough buckets. His game
should appeal to teams like the Kings or Bucks, who need some toughness
and leadership from the position. Even though Dunn is not a great
shooter, he should be a top 15 pick.

Henry
Ellenson was the highest recruit Marquette signed in years. He led the
Eagles in points, rebounds and blocks, and will take his talents to the
next level after only one season. Ellenson has a unique skill set. He is
not overly athletic but has solid ball handling skills for a big man
and offers some stretch four capabilities. Similar to David Lee, teams
that can overlook his defensive shortcomings will land a good offensive
player.

The
second ranked recruit in the country, Skal Labissiere lost John
Calipari's trust, and never seemed to regain it. A mega project, he
showed flashes, including an 18 point, 9 rebound, 6 block performance
against LSU in early March. This draft is short on impact talent, so
Labissiere could still hear his name called in the late lottery. If
Labissiere can be coached up, he offers difference making defensive
ability.

Domantas
Sabonis exploded as a sophomore, and capped it all off with a fantastic
tournament run. He was a one man wrecking crew in a loss to Syracuse
with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks. Drafts are typically full of
big men long on potential and short on production. Sabonis is the
opposite. He might not ever become a legit starting power forward, but
the chances of him becoming a solid rotation player are very strong.

Demetrius
Jackson has improved greatly from year to year. As a lead guard playing
36 minutes per game, he managed to have more than a 2:1 assist to
turnover ratio, which silenced some doubts that he was a scoring only
point guard. Jackson might not have the size and speed to be a starting
point guard, but he should make a very capable backup, with his ability
to handle the ball and shoot the three.

Dwayne
Bacon received all of the early hype, but Malik Beasley established
himself as the best draft prospect on the Seminole roster. Beasley is
the ideal NBA wing scorer. He is athletic, can finish in transition and
knock down the open jumper. He should make a living parked at the three
point line and driving to the rim. Players like that are always in high
demand, and Beasley should be a first round pick.

Deyonta
Davis is the first Michigan State freshman to declare for the draft
since Zach Randolph a decade and a half ago. Davis has serious lottery
potential, but is extremely raw at this stage. At his best, he could
be bulldozing scorer who can rebound and block shots. The team who
drafts him will have to be patient, and properly develop him. With so
many teams owning multiple first round picks, Davis should go in the
first round.

Stephen
Zimmerman was a high recruit who chose to stay home in Las Vegas for
school. He had a solid freshman season, averaging close to a double
double with two blocks a night. He is a good athlete who can run the
floor. The issue is he is not a very efficient scorer at this stage of
his development, and is not yet ready to play major minutes at the NBA
level. He is 7 foot, which is pretty much a guaranteed ticket to the
first round, but he will have to be coached and developed into a
serviceable rotation player.

The
Vanderbilt Commodores had a disappointing season despite having a few
NBA draft prospects on the roster. Wade Baldwin might max out as a
backup combo guard, but he does have the potential to be a poor man's
George Hill. He is a good shooter, strong scorer and decent ball
handler. This draft is light on point guards, which should help him find
a spot in the first round.

Marquese
Chriss could have used another year to develop his body and game, but
he has the skills that teams are looking for in their power forwards. He
has a good face up game with range out to 20 feet, can rebound on
occasion and block shots. Chriss is still a project that will struggle
to see the court early, but he could develop into a decent role player
and should hear his name called in the teens or early 20's.

What
to make of Thon Maker? The ultimate wild card of all wild cards. He has
the body of a teenage Kevin Garnett, the game of an And 1 Mixtape You
Tube street baller, and skills that may or may not translate to the NBA.
In summary, who on Earth knows. Some team with multiple first round
picks could opt to gamble on the oozing potential, or he could find his
way well into the second round.

The
curious case of Tyler Ulis. You would think a player who played 37
minutes a game, had a 7:2 assist to turnover ratio, averaged 17 points
per game and hit 34% of his three point shots would be a shoe in first
rounder, right? Well. The NBA still is scared of players under 6 foot.
Ask Isaiah Thomas if he deserved to be a first rounder. Someone in the
late first round is going to get a real gamer who will successfully lead
a second unit. It will be a shame if Ulis falls to the second round.

Dejounte
Murray was not an extremely high recruit, but he outplayed almost all
freshman this past season. He reminds me of a Tony Wroten/Rodney Stuckey
type. He can handle the ball but is not really a point guard. He could
be valuable to the team as a scoring combo guard off the bench. If
Murray can show he has real point guard skills he should crack the first
round. If not, he looks like a second round guy to me.

DeAndre
Bembry did it all for St. Joseph's as he won Atlantic 10 Player of the
Year honors. Bembry is a bit of a point forward. He takes very good care
of the ball and can lead an offense on occasion. Two things could keep
him out of the first round. He is not a good shooter or overly committed
defender. Like I have said a hundred times, the 3 and D wing player is
all the rage in the NBA right now.

Looking
at Damian Jones, he passes the eyeball test. Blessed with a 7 foot
frame and a large wingspan, he has lottery potential. The problem is his
game never really progressed during his three years at Vanderbilt. He
is a good scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, but he tends to blend in
and go with the flow, which probably means he will max out as a backup
big man. Still, the fact that he is 7 foot and able to breathe on his
own could make him a first round pick.

Patrick
McCaw was a high recruit who had two successful years at UNLV. He is a
slashing wing who can handle the ball as well. As with virtually all
wing prospects, the question is whether he can consistently hit the
three point shot. If so, a first round pick awaits.

Top
recruit Wayne Selden looked like a mega bust after his first two years
at Kansas, but put together a very solid junior campaign, putting
himself back on the NBA Draft map. Selden is a tough scorer and a solid
defender. Unfortunately, he is not that athletic of a wing, or a
fantastic jump shooter, two things that will probably limit his draft
stock to the second round.

Anthony
Barber exploded as a junior, turning into one of the best scorers in
the country. With superstar prospect Dennis Smith Jr. heading to North
Carolina State next year, Barber decided to move on. Unless a scoring
point guard has great size or fantastic speed, it is hard for him to
crack the first round. Barber should be drafted somewhere in the second
round with a chance to stick in the league as a scoring backup.

Perhaps
no college basketball player put up better stats than Kahlil Felder. 24
points and 9 assists would be NBA All Star numbers. The problem is he
is a 5'9 guard playing against small school competition. Those two
hurdles will be tough to overcome. He is hyper athletic, and a
tremendous shooter, which separates himself from some of the other small
school do it all guards. He could stick in the league as a spark plug
type.

Tim
Quarterman had a nice junior year. He took good care of the ball and
still managed 3.6 assists per night despite sharing the rock with Ben
Simmons and Antonio Blakeney. Scouts are always intrigued with 6'6 point
guards, though they rarely work out. Quarterman is just an average
athlete and shooter, which likely limits his draft range to the second
round.

Robert
Carter has made a reputation as a banging big man who can rebound, play
defense and even knock down the occasional three pointer. There is not
much upside here but he could stick as a camp body somewhere who could
eventually live off of 10 day contracts.

Daniel
Hamilton is one of four brothers to play Division I college basketball,
so the talent and bloodlines are obviously there. Older brother Jordan
was a former first round pick who did not make much of a dent in the
NBA. Hamilton has the skills to help a team. He is a good ball handler
and fantastic athlete. But he does not shoot the ball particularly well
or play much defense, two traits that are musts with wing players. His
career arc will likely include stops overseas and to the D League before
he ultimately makes it to the NBA.

NBA
Draft fans have known the name Mamadou Ndiaye since he blocked 3 shots
per game as a freshman. His game has developed slowly, but it is still
clear to see he is a very tall person who has been forced to play
basketball. Players like that just do not make it in the NBA, but he
could still be drafted in the second round as the ultimate wild card
project. After all, you can never teach 7'6.

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PG Kareem Canty, Jr, Auburn6'1, 195 lbs2015-2016 Stats: 18.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apgProjected Draft Range: UndraftedKareem
Canty transfered from Marshall to Auburn. He put up great stats before
leaving the program during the middle of the year. There have been
hundreds of undersized scorers who just do not have that standout skill
to make the NBA, and Canty is just that. He will not be drafted.